Deaf Cafe Devotion 4/24/2009

“A river brings joy to the city of our God, the sacred home of the Most High. God dwells in that city; it cannot be destroyed. From the very break of day, God will protect it. The nations are in chaos, and their kingdoms crumble! God’s voice thunders, and the earth melts! The Lord of Heaven’s Armies is here among us; the God of Israel is our fortress.” (Psalm 46:4-7 NLT)

God is our Refuge, so we need not fear. But He is also our River, so we need not faint. Verse 4 says, "A river brings joy to the city of our God, the sacred home of the Most High." Until one visits the Holy Land, it is hard to understand how critical water is there. Without water almost nothing can exist there. Jerusalem is one of the great ancient cities that was not founded on a river. It wasn't until Hezekiah dug his famous tunnel that Jerusalem had a water source within the city walls. The psalmist says here that though Jerusalem is not situated beside a river, it has a River. And it comes from the Holy Place, from the throne of God. Verse 5 says, “God dwells in that city; it cannot be destroyed. From the very break of day, God will protect it.”

Jesus said, “Anyone who is thirsty may come to me!" (John 7:37 NLT) The rivers of Living Water, the rivers of joy, flow out from His throne. In the Bible, water for washing is a picture of the Word of God. But water for drinking is a picture of the Spirit of God. We may drink from this hidden River. And because we drink at this River, we have the joy, the refreshment and the empowerment of the Lord.

The psalmist continues in verse 7, "The Lord of Heaven’s Armies is here among us; the God of Israel is our fortress." He is the Lord of the armies. All the armies of heaven and earth belong to the Lord Jesus Christ because He has all authority. He is with us, not against us. He is Immanuel, "God with us."

Take time to drink at the River. Allow God to refresh us, restore us and strengthen us every day. Strength from within is as critical to spiritual well-being as it is to physical well-being. If we want to work and not faint, we must depend on God to provide everything we need. His people have the Holy Spirit within them to refresh and strengthen them. When we drink from the rivers of water He provides, we find strength and the joy of the Lord.

Deaf Cafe Devotion 4/17/2009

People say we live in desperate times. Economies are failing. Work is disappearing. The family is torn apart. Conflict is on the rise. What are we to do? What does this even mean? It can mean that in times of crisis people are willing to do whatever is necessary for survival. This can mean making choices that are not necessarily right.

Desperation can drive people to do things without thinking about the outcome. Comedian Woody Allen characterized our times when he said, "We stand at a crossroads. Down one road things look hopeless and depressing, and down the other is total destruction. Let us pray that we choose the right road." This kind of fear sometimes even can cause God's people to make poor choices.

Elimelech, the “man from Bethlehem in Judah” mentioned in Ruth 1:1, was facing a desperate situation. He needed to make some difficult choices. He was struggling to feed his family. A wife and two growing boys needed to eat, but a famine gripped the land. A famine is a food shortage or a food crisis where there is not enough food to go around. It is also a situation where the cost of feeding a family costs more than some families can afford.

Famines were often God's way of bringing His people to the point of submission. They were not simply to punish Israel, but to get them to turn from their sins. Yet without clear guidance from God, Elimelech chose to run away. Instead of facing the Lord's judgment on the land and trusting God to provide, he moved his family to a pagan land and raised his children in a society that did not know the God of Israel. He even broke God's law by allowing his sons to marry pagan wives.(Deuteronomy 7:3-4)

It is very tempting to look for the easy way out of our problems. But any choice that takes us away from God is, in the long run, the wrong way. Elimelech's choice ultimately brought death to himself and his two sons. No matter how desperate the situation, it is always better to face what God has allowed and trust Him than it is to run from our circumstances and go it alone.

If we are experiencing difficult times, we must make choices based on clear direction from God. Don't allow a feeling of desperation to steer us in the wrong direction. Stay focused on God and His perfect plan for each one of us.

He's Still Alive!

Ever wonder what Monday was like in Jerusalem the Monday after Jesus' resurrection? Did life go on as normal? Did the High Priest take a day off? Did Pontius Pilate escape into his house and hide? Did Barabbas, the man Jesus replaced that day ever wonder "What if Jesus had not shown up?" or "Why did that happen?" Did anyone notice a difference? Did anyone really care?

Where was Jesus? What was He doing? Where were the Disciples? Were they out telling people about what they had seen and heard?

Did you ever wonder what Monday was like in the rest of the world the day after history changed? The day after history changed forever?

Think about this:
"All but four of the major world religions are based on mere philosophical propositions. Of the four that are based on personalities rather than philosophies, only Christianity claims an empty tomb for its founder. In 1900 B.C. Judaism’s Father Abraham died. In 483 B.C. Buddhist writings say Buddha died 'with that utter passing away in which nothing whatever remains behind.' June 6, 632 A.D. Mohammed died. . In 33 A.D. Jesus died but came back to life appearing to 500 people over a period of 40 days. 'And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.' (I Corinthians, 15:14)." Source: McDowell, Josh. "Evidence that Demands a Verdict." Page 180. San Bernadino, CA: Here’s Life Publishers, Inc., 1979.

Today is not just any Monday. Today is a new day in the world. He's Alive!
Does anyone notice a difference? Does anyone care?
People, Jesus is alive, ready and waiting to save you FOREVER.

Resurrection Day

Today is April 12, 2009
Gos is still in control
Jesus is the risen King of Kings
Give thanks to God for His unlimited grace
Give thanks to the Risen Savior.
He is Risen!
He is Risen Indeed!
We had a great day of study and worship at The Deaf Church at Cornerstone.
God's Word was taught and preached.
Lives were changed.
Thanks David, Sharon, Tony, Kirstan, Ashley and Josh for visiting us. Please feel free to come back any time.
God Bless You!
John B
Lay Pastor
The Deaf Church at Cornerstone

Deaf Cafe Devotion for 4/10/2009

A lady wrote a question to her Pastor:

Pastor,

There are some preachers who say that Jesus just fainted on the cross and that the disciples nursed Him back to health. What do you think?

Sincerely,

“Bewildered”

Her Pastor answered:
Dear “Bewildered,”

Start by torturing those preachers for hours with a cat-of-nine-tails with 39 heavy strokes, give them a crown of thorns, make them drag a piece of wood that weighs the same as a tree trunk on their shoulders through a mob scene in the middle of a large city, drive spikes through their wrists and feet to secure them to a cross, hang them in the sun for six hours, then run a spear through their side. Tell them their family, including their mother, and friends that they must watch all this take place. Then after all this, put them in an airless tomb for 36 hours and see what happens.

Seattle Pastor and author Bruce Larson said, "The events of Easter cannot be reduced to a doctrine or philosophy. We are not asked to believe the doctrine of the resurrection. We are asked to meet this person raised from the dead. In faith, we move from belief in a doctrine to the knowledge of a person. Ultimate truth is a person. We met him. He is alive."

Look at how God shows Himself as powerful over everything and how He is in full control.

Jesus took all the questions and verbal abuse from the Pharisees and then showed the world that God is the true source of knowledge and wisdom.

Jesus withstood the Roman justice system and showed the world exactly who is the judge for ALL people.

Jesus withstood the beating, mockery, abuse, and shame of Roman torture to prove He is willing and more than worthy to accept our sin.

Jesus willingly accepted and carried His cross on His abused body through the streets of Jerusalem to the place of death the same He willingly carries our sin in front of the world to a place where sin is eternally forgiven.

Jesus showed Himself more powerful than the nails that held Him to the Cross by dying in our place for our sin. Jesus became our sin for us. Jesus became the sacrifice for our sin. Jesus accepted the death we deserved so we would have life.

God showed Himself Mighty over death and Jesus showed Himself victorious over sin because the tomb could not hold Him in.

“My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20 NLT)

The cross is empty.

The tomb is empty.

Rejoice! Jesus is Alive!

Now go and tell.

Deaf Cafe Devotion for 4/3/2009

Do you know what one of the most quoted Bible verses is? I have heard that one that some people like to quote is “Do not judge others, and you will not be judged.” Do you realize there is more to that verse? It does not stop suddenly. Here is the full verse: “³⁷Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn others, or it will all come back against you. Forgive others, and you will be forgiven.” (Luke 6:37 NLT) The words may vary slightly depending on the translation of the Bible you use. Typically, some people use this verse to try to tell others what they should NOT do.

Jesus did not give us these words to control others but to challenge ourselves. People tend to judge others before they judge themselves. This verse is speaking to that issue. Sadly, it is used on others in that hard way. But that is not the way Jesus intended. We must aim this verse at our own hearts. We are not to be critical people, constantly evaluating everyone and everything around us. God says in Romans 12:17-21 that we are to leave judgment in His hands. Go ahead … look it up.

There are judgments to be made. That is God’s job. At the same time we answer to each other in the community of believers. Aim for the balance here, not the extremes. On one end of the scale is letting anything go on without confrontation. This is not right. The other extreme is the judgmental spirit where we think we can judge another person for their action. It is this second extreme that Jesus was addressing here.

Believers should not judge others with this verse. We, as believers, need to use it on ourselves and reap the benefit Jesus promised: FORGIVENESS. We love because God loved us first. We forgive because God sent His Son to forgive our sins. We are forgiven now we are free to forgive.